This invention relates to a projector.
Heretofore, in a projector using a liquid crystal light modulator, as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 51-52233, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 60-179723, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 61-102892, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 61-167297, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 62-125791, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 62-1391, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 63-58414, etc., optical images from liquid crystal devices of different color lights (hereinafter referred to as "LCDs") have been color-synthesized by a dichroic mirror and projected onto a screen by a projection lens, and although not particularly mentioned, sheet-like polarizing filters virtually made integral with the LCDs have been used as the polarizers and analyzers of the LCDs.
However, in the prior art described above, when light applied to the LCDs is intensified to improve luminance, particularly the polarizing filters on the analyzer side generate heat due to absorption of the light. This heat generation increases the temperature of the liquid crystal of the LCDs and further causes a change in the phase of the liquid crystal, thus reducing the function of the LCDs.
In order to eliminate such temperature rise of the liquid crystal caused by the absorption of light of the polarizing filters, it would occur to mind to use polarizing beam splitters instead of the polarizing filters as the analyzers. However, if such polarizing beam splitters are arranged correspondingly to the LCDs of different color lights, there will arise the problem that the system becomes bulky.